Manufacture of shoe counters



Aug. 17, 1937. w. H. WOOD MANUFACTURE OF SHOE COUNTERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 11, 1935 ll lllralllllnllvl 54 Duns/DE INVENTOR.

Aug. 17, 1937. w. H. WOOD MANUFACTURE OF SHOE COUNTERS Filed June 11, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

. Aug; 17, 1937. w. H. WOOD 2,090,015

MANUFACTURE OF SHOE COUNTERS Filed June 11, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

Aug, 17, 1937. w 1-], D 2,090,015

MANUFACTURE OF SHOE COUNTERS Filed June 11. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

A ORNEY.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNETED STATES LhthlS PATENT FFICE.

MANUFACTURE OF SHOE COUNTERS Application June 11, 1935, Serial No. 25,986

20 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of moulded counters for boots and shoes and more particularly to moulded counters of the type having a wing, or long side, which overlaps to a greater or less degree the contour of the last forward of the heel breast-line which demarks the heel seat. The kind of counters referred to are known to the trade as shank-fit counters and may have a single wing, extending forward under the shank of the last or both sides may be so extended forward as, for example, in counters for womens pumps. Such counters have been described as released counters due to the fact that, in moulding, the vertex line or sharp break between the inturned flange and side wall of the counter, is made to disappear, and the down curvature of the wings to start at a point forward of the heel seat of the last selected according to the style of the last on which the counter is to be built.

Counter moulding machines designed for moulding short or Wingless counters are inadequate to properly mould the forward portions of shank-fit or released counters to the conforma- 5 tion of the last forward of its heel seat. To overcome the necessity of such conformation by lasting, such counters have heretofore been subjected to a second strike or moulding operation by which the side wing is completely formed for an accurate 3 fit to the contour of the last. One feature of this invention relates to such a shank or wing moulding press and contemplates the provision of a double mould form whereby a pump or analogous counter may have both wings moulded by a single strike. Novelty is found in the relative arrangement and characteristics of the male and female moulds between which the shank of the counter is shaped and also in the novel mode of moulding to secure an exact conformation of said shank to the shank of the last.

It is highly desirable that shank-fit counters be moulded in such manner that the forward portion of the inturned flange will lie in the plane of or hug the underlying regions of the last when assembled therewith. To accomplish this some special process must be employed that will overcome the natural spring-back of the flange due to the resiliency of the counter material even after having been struck hard between the complcmental moulds of the shank-fit counter press. This object is accomplished by a special feature of the novel process of this invention, hereinafter to be described.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, as will readily be understood by those skilled in the art,

the invention comprises the features and combinations of parts and processes of manufacture hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings showing the principal parts of apparatus that may be used and diagrammatic views of the counter in various stages of the process of its manufacture. In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a view, in plan. of the moulds of an apparatus that may be used for the final shaping of a counter according to this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in left side elevation, of the parts shown in Fig. l, the moulds being open;

Fig. 3 is a view, in front elevation, similar to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view, in front elevation, showing the female moulds closed on the male moulds;

Figs. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional and plan views, respectively, of a counter on the male mould before closing the form, the cross-section of Fig. 5 being on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6;

Figs. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional and plan views, respectively, of a counter on the male mould after closing the form, the cross-section of Fig. '7 being on the line 1-1 of Fig. 8;

Figs. 9 and 10 are diagrammatic representations, in cross-section, of the manner in which the two part male mould is produced;

Fig. 11 is a view, in perspective, of the male mould having indicated thereon the change in the position of the heel end;

Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the male mould on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 2;

Figs. 13 and 14 are diagrammatic representations, in cross-section, of a counter held in the form and after release from the form, respectively, and

Fig. 15 is a view, in perspective, of a moulded counter showing more particularly the perfected flat flange.

Attention is called to the fact that Figs. 1 to 4 do not show a counter on the male mould the purpose of these figures being to illustrate a set of moulds specially formed to produce in a counter the characteristic features hereinafter described and claimed.

In the embodiment of the moulding apparatus illustrated in the drawings fixed and movable moulds are shown in an organization capable of simultaneously striking both wings of a counter placed between them, it being understood that the form comprising these moulds is a part of a moulding press of any usual or preferred construction having operating mechanism for closing the moulds upon a counter and then releasing them.

Confining the here following description to the preferred form of the moulds, as illustrated, a

. female mould block 26 for moulding one wing of the counter tothe contours of the shank of the last at one side is fixed to the bed of the machine 10 (not shown) and a similar female mould block 22 for moulding the wing of the counter, above and facing the fixed mould block 29, is integral with a connection 23 to the movable ram of the press.

Intermediate the two female mould blocks is 1 located a two-part, double-face male mould 24; shaped to duplicate the contours of both sides of the shank of the last upon which the counter is to be used. The virtue of the twopart construction will appear later in this specification.

The male mould 24 is secured to a plate 26 that is slidable in vertical guides 28 carried at the rear of the movable female mould block 22 and having a rearwardly projecting, slotted flange 30. A pin 32 is pivoted at its lower end in a lug 34 at the rear of the fixed female mould block 28 so that it may be swung into and o-utjof the slot in the lug 30." The pin 32 carries a coil spring 36 confined between a shoulder on the pin and a washer at the under side of the lug 30, the whole being held 30 in place by a nut 38 on the pin and a suitable fastener across the open end of the slot in the lug 33. The purpose of this construction is to hold the male mould in a position of clearance relative to the fixed female mould block when the form is open, thus to permit the operator to place a counter upon the male mould, it being understood that the upward travel of the movable female mould block is suflicient to provide clearance between it and the male mould.

40 V The male mould is made of cast metal and the female moulds, while they also may be hard metal, preferably consist of a softer material for example Babbitt metal or vulcanized rubber facings 26a and 2211. set into their respective mould 45 blocks and shaped complementally to the two sides of the male mould. Both the male and the female moulds differ in form and in mutual counter pressing action from all counter moulds heretofore known in the art and these differences 50 will hereinafter be fully explained in connection with a disclosure of the novel method of manufacture forming apart of this invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, starting with the form open as shown by Figs. 2 and 3, upon set- 55 ting the moulding press in operation the female mould block 22 descends, sliding on the plate 26, until its facing 22a contacts the upper side of the male mould 24. Continued descent of the mould block 22 carries the male mould downward ahead 60 of it, the spring 36 being compressed during this period because the male mould carries the lug 3!] of plate'26 down with it. The spring 36 is relatively weak so that this contact of the two moulds does not seat them and it has no permanent 65 eifect on the counter.. Finally, when the under side of the male mould seats inthe facing 20a of the lower female mould the upper side also seats (see Fig. 4) and'the applied pressure moulds both wings of the counter simultaneously. Upon 70 relief of the pressure expansion of the spring 36 causes the male mould to rise with the upper female mould block until the lug 3i] meets the nut 38 which clears the lower side of the male mould.

Thereafter the upper female mould block con- 75 tinues to rise until the upper side of the'male mould is cleared. Nowthe form is again open and ready for moulding another counter.

As best shown by Figs. 3 and 4 each female mould is provided with a flexible leaf spring across its forward mouth. These two springs, 37 above and 33 below, may advantageously but not necessarily be used to clamp the counter at its projecting heel part when the form is closed, as shown inFigQ i. A funnel shaped safety guard H, see dotted lines Fig. 3, surrounding the heel part 49 of the male mould may be mounted on a support 42 projecting forwardly from said heel part. Other safety guards 43 are shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

It will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2 that no pressure is applied to the previously and adequately:

shaped heel portion of the counter because the length of the female moulds is such asto press only upon the shank portion or side walls of the counter which includes the previously inadequately shaped wings.

A description now follows of the novel manner by which the complemental moulds are utilized to shape the wings of a shank-fit counter while at the same time preserving the desired fiat flange at its forward portion. In using the press for either a right or a left counter it has been found most convenient for the operator to hold the partly shaped counter with its flanged seat facing left. With this in mind it will be understood that there must be reverse moulds for shaping'right and left counters. In Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings the moulds are relatively arranged for shaping a left counter, i. e. with the outside shank of the male mould uppermost. In Figs. to 14 of the drawings an underside view of the male mould for a left counter is shown, i. e. an underside view of the same mould as in Figs. 1 to 4 having its inside shank uppermost. This treatment will aid visualizing the differences between this invention and prior inventions because of the greater out- Ward swell from the bottom producing a more pronounced instep ridge to which reference will be made in explaining the novel process.

Heretofore, in the Peterson Patent No. 1,656,234, January 17, 1928 for example, the male moulds used for successively striking the wings of shankfit counters were set with the plane of the heel seat at such an angle that the instep ridge would approximately coincide with the high-line of the mould'surface. The mould forstriking one wing would be tilted one way and the mould for striking the other wing of the same counter would be tilted the opposite way. The male mould 24 for the press of this invention is made in two 7 parts each comprising somewhat less than onehalf of each of the single strike moulds heretofore employed, but it also has a special heel end the function of which is to seat the counter on the mould in such manner. that the side walls of the counter are initially placed in a new relation to the sides of'the mould.

7 Referring to Fig. 11 the heel end outlined by dashes indicates the angle of the heel seat 46 to the vertical as heretofore used to some extent in the single strike method of shaping shank-fit counters, and the full line heel end 493 shows the change that has been made. What has been done is to cut oif the heel part 46 transversely as far forward as the line 48 (Fig. 2) and then replace it in an offset position so that its heel seat 45 stands vertical relatively to the undisturbed shank portion of the male mould. In the drawings the inside shank of the male mould 24 is designated by 52 and the outside shank thereof by 54 (see Figs. 2 and 12).

As diagrammatically shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the inside and outside shank portions used from the earlier moulds are shown at 52 and 54 on Fig. 9, leaving an unused segment of about 30. Fig. 10 visualizes these two portions 52 and 54, before finishing, closed together to produce the new two part male mould 24.

The heel end 40 is covered with a hard but flexible sheet material 56, conveniently fibreboard secured by screws (see Fig. 12). As shown by Fig. 11 the swinging or offsetting of the heel end to its new angular position has thrown the crown of the heel end out of line with the rear end of the metal mould at the plane 48 where the severance took place, as indicated by the full lines outside of the dash lines at the left of Fig. 11. To line up the heel end and mould and form a smooth joint at their new plane of juncture the side walls of the heel cover 56 are bent down to the mould. This treatment relieves the male mould toward the heel end at both its top and bottom sides.

In rebuilding the male mould a sufficient part of the extra material present, indicated by the dash lines inside of the full lines at the right of. Fig. 10, is removed to leave inside shank and outside shank counter flange seats 58 and 59, respectively, each at substantially a 5 angle to the plane of the vertical heel seat face 45.

A horizontal bar 62 is clamped between the two parts of the male mould and serves as anchorage for the funnel guard support 42. The head of a bolt 63 for securing the mould parts 52 and 54 together is seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

In Figs. 1 to 4 the female mould 25a is complemental to the inside shank part 52 of the male mould and the female mould 22a is complemental to the outside shank part of the male mould except that each female mould is relieved at its front end opposite the relieved portions of the male mould 24 heretofore described. With this construction of the form each side wall of the 1 counter, when placed on the heel end 40, will bridge across from about midway of the heel to about one inch forward on the male mould and when the moulds seat there will be no bearing on the side walls of the counter throughout this relieved area.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 8 showing the male mould alone with its inside shank uppermost and having a counter 65 thereon, first before closing the form (Figs. 5 and 6) and then after closing the form (Figs. '7 and 8 attention is called to the curved dot and dash line 66 on Figs. 6 and 8 which denotes the instep ridge or high line along the inside shank 52 of the mould surface. The curved dash line 61 on Fig. 6 denotes the instep ridge as formed in the inside wing 55a of the counter at the previous step of heel seat moulding on the plug of the regular counter moulding machine. These two lines do not coincide because the wings of the counter are positioned on the male mould by fitting the heel of the counter to the off-set heel end 40. With the heel of the counter embracing this offset heel end 40 the inside and outside wings 65a and 55b are thrown slightly to the right in Figs. 5 and 6 and somewhat off-center from the high lines of the shank portions of the mould surface.

When the form closes the seating of the female moulds 22a and 20a on the male mould parts 54 and 52 twists the wings 65a and 65b to the left in is made.

Figs. 5 and 6 or upward from the heel seat flange until the high lines of the wings coincide with the high lines of the mould and simultaneously twists the top edges of the wings inward through the extra 15 allowed by the new shape of mould. The result is shown by Figs. 7 and 8 wherein the single curved dot and dash line denotes both lines 65 and 5? of Fig. 7, the wings of the counter being then completely moulded in their new extraclosed or over-moulded position. This inward twisting of the wings relatively to the fixed position of the heel of the counter on the heel end 40 of the form is permitted by the unclamped area just forward of the heel Where the moulds have been relieved as hereinbefore described.

At the same time that the Wings are being twisted by the form to their true position relative to the curvatures of the mould sides the flange portions 65c and 65d of the counter are set down against the flange seats 58 and 59, respectively, that is to within about 5 of the plane of the heel seat face of the counter (see Fig. '7). 7

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the form is so designed that a counter moulded within it has its side walls closed together at the top about 15 beyond their normal relation when the counter is off the last, and because the counter does not acquire a permanent set in the form the wings will spring back th s 15 and resume their natural relative position when the form releases the counter. The final effect of this is illustrated by Figs. 14 and 15.

The counter represented by Fig. 13 is the same as the moulded counter shown in Fig. 7 while confined in the mould. It will be observed that the flange sections 650 and 65d stand outward at about 5 while top edges of the wings 65a and 65b stand quite close together, approximately 15 apart as indicated on Fig. 13. When the form opens and the moulded counter is free of the female moulds each wing springs back from its twisted relation to the heel end through approximately 15, as indicated on Fig. 14, or back through the excess bend through which it was forced by the closed form. This spring-back causes the side Walls to resume their natural relation to the heel end of the counter.

It has been discovered that this spring-back of the wings, when combined with the relative return twist between the forward and rear portions of the moulded counter, has a particular and advantageous effect upon the forward portion of the heel seat flange heretofore set at approximately 5 out of the plane in which it is desired this flange should lie in the finally shaped counter. This is illustrated by Fig. 14 wherein the opposite sides or portions 650 and 65d of the heel seat flange are shown as having been drawn inward from their position in Fig. 13, or in a direction to close the 5 angle at which they stood, by virtue of the spring-back of the over-moulded wings. The inward movement of the heel seat flange induced by the action just described also compensates for the natural spring-back of the flange itself due to the resiliency of the material of which the counter The final result of the wing moulding operation is that the forward flange portion of the counter is brought into the most desired position, that is, approximately into the plane of the heel seat face of the counter. With a counter so shaped there is .no burden placed upon the laster to pull the counter flange down to the Wood during the lasting process.

. It will now be understood that the described flat flange, and especially the flatness of its forward portion, is obtained by a method quite dis tinct from themethods heretofore practiced for obtaining a flat heel seat flange, namely a forcing of the flange inward through an increment greater than its natural spring-back. In practicing the method of this invention the forward flange is held somewhat outward from its final flat position and is drawn into that final position by a twisting spring-back of the sidewalls of the counter which have hadtheir top edges turned inward considerably further than is required to fit the last. 7

Commercial success in producing shank-flt counters having the characteristic forward flange herein described is provided for by the novel twopart m-ale mould to which the side walls of the counter are conformed by the complemental shank-pressing female moulds. Itwill be seen from Fig. that one side of the male mould is tilted to an oblique position throwing its high line more or less upward, while the other side is tilted obliquely to the same degree but in a reverse direction. Thus the relation to each other of the two sides of the male mould is different from the relation to each other of'the two sides of the last on which the counter will be built. This is illustrated by Fig. 9 which shows the true or last form of the two sides of the male mould. The two parts are joined by a-single pivot pin ,(see dotted lines Figs. 1 and 2) and the securing "bolt 63 works through a slot in one part providthe portion of the heelseat flange which lies beyond the point of release isbrought into the plane of the heel seat portion or flat on the bottom of the last. Thus the flange fits snugly all the way forward from where the sharp flangebreak at the heel seat merges into the shank curvatures. I believe that I am the first to pro duce this highly desirable result in the manufacture of shank-fit counters or those having one or two long wings extending forward of the' flange-break of'the usual heel seat without resorting to a depression of the flange portion beyond the heel seat plane. Obviously the action and the result is the same whether one or two side walls or counter wings are subjected to the benefits of the process herein described:

During the preceding description, and in the following claims, it has been convenient to employ various terms denoting direction of movement, position and the like, but it is to be understood that these terms are not expressive of any characteristic features of the invention, as it is the relative arrangement of the parts alone which is of importance.

Nothing herein contained J's-to be interpreted as limiting the invention herein described in the scope of its application to use in connection with the particular apparatus or to the particular steps of the method, or both, selected for purposes of illustration and explanation. While the particular apparatus herein set forth is well-suited to one mechanical form of theinvention especially adapted to practising the method, the in vention is not limited to these details ofconstruction, nor is it to be understood that all of the features described are essential since the in- Uvention as herein disclosed may be varied or modified within the skill of theartisan without departing from the true scope of the actual invention characterizingfeatures of which are set forth in the following claims by the intentional use of generic terms and expressions inclusive of equivalents. 7

What is claimed as new, i s: 1. A form -for. moulding shank-fit counters comprising a male mould having the contour -of the shank portion of the last to which a wing of said counter is to be shaped and having a heel end an-gularly off-set from said shank portion whereby a counter set on said heel end will have the high-line of its wing thrown to one side of the high-line on the male mould, a female mould" complemental to the shank portion of the male -mould, and means for closing the form.

'2. A form for moulding shank-fit counters according to claim- 1 in which said heel end is offset approximately 15 from its true position rela'-" lation of the flange break of the heel end and the flange break of the shank portion atone side'of the heel seat of the male mould.

5. A form for moulding the side walls of double" wing shank-fit counters comprising oppositely facing female moulds for said side walls and an intermediate two-sided male mould for supporting said counter, means to close the form by a relative approach of said female moulds and male mould, the sides of said male mould being copies'of the sides of the shank portion of the last to which said counter wings-are to be shaped and also complemental to said two female moulds and the setting of the vsides of the male mould being such that each stands at an angle, different from that at which the said sides of the last would stand if the last wereused in place of said male mould, to the plane of the path of travel ofthe said moulds as they are caused to relatively approach and seat on the wings of said counter, and the setting of the heel end of said male mould being such that the plane of its heel seat is in the plane of the said path of travel.

6. A form for moulding the side walls of double wing shank-fit counters according to claim 5 in which the sides of the male mould are relieved for a short distance forward of the said heel end and both female moulds are relieved at their complemental areas.

'7. A form for moulding the side walls of double wing shank-fit counters comprising a male mould having a shank portion positioned to pre sent above and below the contours of the shank portion of the last to which said Wings are to be shaped and having its top and bottom sides each set at an angle to the other, complemental female mouldsabove and below said top and bottom sides of said male mould, and a heel end on the male mould outside the pressure area of said female moulds, said heel end being off-set at an angle to each of the angularly set sides of said shank portion.

8. A form for moulding the side walls of double wing shank-fit counters according to claim 7 in which said shank portion of the male mould has seats for the flanges of the two wings of the counter each in a plane at an outward angle to the plane of the heel seat of said heel end.

9. A form for moulding the side walls of double wing shank-fit counters according to claim '7 in which the complemental male and female moulds are shaped to set the wing flanges down to within approximately 5 of the plane of the heel seat of said off-set heel end of the male mould.

10. The method of moulding shank-fit counters having a previously shaped heel end and heel seat flange, which comprises shaping the side wall or wing by twisting it relatively to said shaped heel end and applying pressure while so twisted and also moulding the flange of said Wing to a position at a slight outward angle to the plane of the heel seat, and then relieving the pressure permitting said wing to twist back to its natural position relative to its heel end and thereby drawing said wing flange down into substantially the plane of the heel seat.

11. The method of moulding double wing shank-fit counters which comprises first shaping the heel end including the heel seat flange, and then subjecting the two wings to a double strike operating to twist said wings in opposite directions relative to said shaped heel end through an increment substantially equal to the natural spring back of said wings when pressure thereon is relieved and to set the flange on each wing almost down to its desired position, then relieving the pressure and drawing the wing flanges further down into substantially the plane of the heel seat by the reverse twist of the said wings as they spring back to their normal position.

12. The method of moulding double wing shank-fit counters according to claim 11 in which the wing flanges are set down to approximately 5 of their desired position.

13. The method of moulding shank-fit counters which comprises shaping the heel end of the counter including the flange at the heel seat, seating said counter on a male mould with the plane of its heel seat at such an angle to the side of said male mould that the high-line on the side wall of the counter is off-set relatively to the high-line on the mould, and then shaping said side wall of the counter to the contour of the male mould while simultaneously twisting it relatively to the said heel end of the counter into a position of alignment of said high-lines.

14. The method of moulding shank-fit counters according to claim 13 in which the counter flange forward of the heel seat is set down to stand at an angle of approximately 5 outward from the plane of the heel seat of the counter.

15. The method of moulding shank-fit counters according to claim 13 in which said side wall of the counter is twisted approximately 15 from its natural position relative to the heel end of the counter.

16. The method of moulding shank-fit counters according to claim 13 in which the area of pressure is confined to the shank portion of the counter.

17. The method of moulding shank-fit counters according to claim 13 in which both side walls of a double wing counter are simultaneously shaped said wings being twisted during the operation in opposite directions relatively to the heel end of the counter.

18. The method of moulding shank-fit counters according to claim 13 in which the heel end of the counter is clamped to insure maintenance of its angular position relative to the side of the male mould during the operation.

19. The method of moulding double wing g shank-fit counters which provides for holding the heel seat flange of the heel end of the counter in a definite plane, twisting said wings upward therefrom and setting the wing flanges outward from the side walls at a slight angle to the plane of the heel seat flange, and twisting the top edges of said wings inward through a greater increment than their natural spring back while holding said wing flanges at said angle.

20. A two-part male mould for moulding the shank portion of a double wing shank-fit counter, said parts forming the two sides of the mould and said parts being shaped to give an excess inward bend to the top edges of the wings of a counter seated thereon.

WALTER H. WOOD. 

